There is a definite German Shepherd feel to PennySaverUSA.com’s latest Pet of the Week. The pet we are spotlighting that is up for adoption is a German Shepherd, and the pet we are spotlighting that was already adopted, twice, was thought to be a German Shepherd, but was actually something else! Read their stories below.

For our son’s 7th birthday we decided to surprise him with a puppy! After checking the shelters, we fell in love with a little guy labeled to be a “German Shepard” mix.

Since we already had a German Shepard Mix that we loved, we thought this would be the perfect fit for our family!

Thanks the blogger One Bored Mommy for sharing her story of RICO.

Sure enough, the minute he came into the house, “RICO”, pictured to the right, was an instant hit with the family and even our other dog! Though later, as he aged, we learned that he was actually a pitbull/labrador mix …we loved him so much!

He was great with the kids, quite the landscaper (he chewed all the plants and ate the sprinkler system in our backyard), and even helped me re-decorate (by pulling up an entire room of brand new carpeting in our family room).

RICO was very loved & very patient with my kids (since there were four of them)!

We had to adopt him to a family before we moved from California to Connecticut almost 4 years ago, but he adjusted to his new family environment very quickly!

Funny enough, they received the finished product of all of our hard work…a perfectly well behaved dog…who has yet to chew up anything he shouldn’t and sleeps with the kids in their beds!

I am certain they love him just as much as we did…in fact I know that for a fact!

Adopting Rico was a great gift not only for our family, but the family he lives with now too!

Instead of having a user-submitted story about pet adoption, along with PennySaverUSA.com‘s regular Pet of the Week currently up for adoption, we’ve decided to spotlight two Pet of the Week pets currently up for adoption in different areas this week.

One cat and one dog. We’ll start with the cat, named Mocha, from Burbank.

In love with Mocha? Adopt her from the Burbank Animal Shelter.

Mocha, pictured to the right, is a terrific cat with a big attitude.

She has her own ideas about what’s right and wrong, and she will let you know if you’re wrong! She is very independent but does have a soft spot once she gets to know you and will love all the attention you can give her.

Mocha will likely be the dominant pet in your household, but does get along with dogs and other cats; however young children are probably not the best match for her.

Have a cup of coffee, then drop by the shelter to meet Mocha ID #A042692.

This week’s heartwarming tale of a successful pet adoption comes to us from PennySaverUSA Facebook fan Matthew S. Read all about Koda, pictured to the right, in Matthew’s own words:

My Fiancée and I had been wanting to get a puppy for some time, I have always loved dogs so the idea of having my own was something I was very excited about. I knew I wanted to do a rescue dog so I started my search on www.petfinder.com. Once there I noticed every other dog was a pit bull.

Koda gives pit bulls a GOOD name.

After doing some research and hearing the heartbreaking statistic of how many pit bulls are killed in shelters every day I made the decision that I was going to rescue a pit bull.

I found Karma, a 3-month-old female blue nose and submitted my application, and did my phone interview. By the time I was approved to visit, Karma had already been adopted, but they invited me to come see her remaining litter mates.

I went in the back yard of the foster family’s home where they had six pit bull puppies waiting for adoption. I sat on the grass in the back yard and Koda ran across the yard to jump in my lap.

He would not leave me alone, so in a way Koda picked me. After a final personal interview at the foster’s house, and a home visit/inspection, Koda was mine.

He has been the most amazing dog and dismisses every myth the media loves to share about pit bulls. Koda frequently is at the dog park in Vista, off Melrose (South Melrose) and is everyone’s favorite dog to play with.

He also enjoys swimming at the lagoon in Carlsbad and going on walks with Mom and Dad. He is very active, but his favorite thing to do is put his front legs on your shoulders and give you kisses until your face is sticky with dog drool.

I “rescued” Koda but the truth is he rescued me. He brings me so much self worth and is the best snuggler ever.

Our user-submitted story this week actually comes to us from a PennySaverUSA employee, Veronica. She is passionate about rescuing animals and couldn’t help but share this incredible story of her dog Roofus. In Veronica’s own words …

We adopted Roofus from an Inland Empire shelter. This little guy was used as bait for training fighting dogs and had a rough go of it in his early life.

He’s now living the dream in his forever home with us! He loves people, but does have a hard time adjusting to new animals (probably because of his past), but we work on this.

One animal he does love, however, is his big sister, a Siberian husky.

We have lots of fun with them at night when we have our howling session. You probably think we are crazy, but Roofus loves it (and we aren’t afraid to admit we do, too)!

Watch the above video to find out why Ozzie earned the nickname "The Kissing Bandit".

He might act a little nervous at first. And he may not look like much of a “smooch pooch.” But when you watch his video above you’ll see why this little bachelor gets more dates than Casanova. Oh, by the way, Ozzie is a 3-year-old, 6 pound, neutered, male, Chihuahua.

Ozzie was transferred from another shelter to Rancho Coastal Humane Society through the FOCAS program.This suave, debonair dog is going to need an adult home with no kids.

Ozzie the Kissing Bandit is ready to settle down and be a one-family dog. No more bouncing from one place to another.

The $125 adoption fee for Ozzie includes medical exam, neuter, up to date vaccinations, and microchip identification.

Adoption Fees: Donation required is $350 and there is also a home check.

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Instead of a user-submitted pet adoption story today, we wanted to share an amazing story we recently came across on The Stir, a section of the popular site Cafe Mom.

Please read the entire article by clicking here and you can watch the video that inspired the story by clicking the image to the left. We will provide a brief synopsis below.

A couple heard about a dog in south Los Angeles that was apparently living in a pile of trash. The couple decided to check it out for themselves and came across Fiona, a filthy dirty flea-infested mass of furry cuteness.

They immediately realized that not only was she in such poor condition, she was also completely blind in both eyes.

In an incredible act of kindness, they cleaned her up, took her to the vet and got her treated.

This week’s user-submitted Pet of the Week comes from PennySaverUSA Facebook fan Shawn. Shawn was gracious enough to share this touching story of how he came to adopt Archie (pictured to the right).

Click the image to share your story of pet adoption with us on the PennySaverUSA Facebook wall.

Read it in his own words:

A couple years ago, my mom’s dog passed away with cancer. The tumor was the size of a golf ball, and was lodged in his throat. Sad to say he could not eat and each time he tried to eat he would cough it up, so we took him to the hospital, so he could go to the better place.

A couple weeks later, we did a Leukemia walk at the Rancho Cucamonga baseball stadium.

My mom had to use the restroom, but while we were standing around, this big beautiful red-haired husky walked past us and then sat down.

When my mom came out of the restroom I told her I wanted to look at this dog and she was ok with it … unfortunately we didn’t grab any information about this dog, but we knew it was upsetting my mom because she wanted this dog.

So what did we do? We went to the Rancho Cucamonga animal shelter, saw the dog, and she adopted him right there on the spot!

Any time a pet has two names, you know it’s special, and our newest Pet of the Week is most certainly in a class of her own.

Adopt Lily Banks and you can wake up to that gorgeous face every day.

Her name is Lily Binks … but her friends call her “LIL.” She’s the adoptable Pet of the Week at Rancho Coastal Humane Society. She’s a Siamese – Flame Point cat with a white fur coat and bright blue eyes as you can see in the picture to the right.

She weighs 11 pounds and is 4 years old.

Lily Binks arrived at Rancho Coastal Humane Society when her family moved to a place that doesn’t allow pets. Have other cats? Lil is okay with that. Have no other cats? Lil is fine with that, too. Basically, she’s a pretty agreeable cat.

Instead of featuring one Pet of the Week up for adoption and one user-submitted pet that was recently adopted, we decided to spotlight two pets up for adoption this week.

Rosey had a home, then lost it. It's time for her to get a new one.

The first one is up for adoption in Seal Beach, CA and is named Rosey.

Rosey and her brother Rocky were adopted from the Seal Beach Animal Care Center as kittens, but returned five years later when their adopter lost her home and had to move where she couldn’t take them along.

Rosey is sweet and affectionate and will rub her face on yours and give you kisses! However, she is not really happy with her many feline roommates and often prefers to sleep in a cage because it is too stressful for her to be out in the open room. Rosey would love to have her own home and family again. She would like to be the Queen of the Castle, please!

Rosey’s adoption fee is $50 and that includes her spay, current vaccinations, testing for FIV and FeLV, flea treatment, deworming, permanent microchip identification and a free veterinary exam.

If you’re hungry for real love….treat yourself to SAUSAGE. He’s the adoptable Pet of the Week at Rancho Coastal Humane Society. He’s a 4-year-old, 11-pound, neutered, male, Chihuahua mix. When you meet him face-to-furry-face you’ll see that Sausage could use a few more walks and a few less treats.

Sausage could use some play time.

Sausage was transferred to Rancho Coastal Humane Society from another animal shelter through the FOCAS program.

An RCHS foster care volunteer took him home for a sleep-over and said he was a perfect gentleman. He didn’t beg, he napped on the floor next to the couch, and walked well on his leash.

The $125 adoption fee for Sausage includes medical exam, neuter, up to date vaccinations, and microchip identification.

PennySaverUSA’s newest Pet of the Week comes to us from the San Diego Humane Society. Her name is Lulu and as you can see in the picture to the right, she’s a real catch. She’s a 3-year-old black terrier and her adoption ID# is 90588.

Just look at Lulu. What a hottie!

Lulu can’t wait to find a special family to cherish! She can be a bit shy at first, but warms up as she becomes more familiar with her environment and gets to know you. Lulu loves relaxing, sleeping and snuggling by the side of a companion or a warm window.

This sweet girl appreciates close, trusting relationships and would do best in a home with no children.

Lulu’s adoption fee is $75 and that includes her spay, current vaccinations, permanent microchip identification, a certificate for a free veterinary exam, and a license if residing in Oceanside or Vista!

During the adoption process a San Diego Humane Society Trainer will be present to answer any questions and share how to best care for Lulu and offer tips for continued training in the future.

That lovely little cat to the right you see is named Jellybean and she is (along with pal Sparky) the latest user-submitted Pet of the Week. PennySaverUSA Twitter follower @khealy8834 was the source of this awesome story. Tweet her to find out more about Jellybean and Sparky!

Please tweet us @PennySaverUSA if you want your adopted pet spotlighted like Jellybean.

After walking around the shelter and seeing all the cats/kittens, there was no way we could narrow it down to one kitten (at least I couldn’t just pick one).

We picked our top 2 kittens and went to speak with the employees figuring we would pick one while doing the paperwork. While talking with the employees, they tugged at my emotions by saying how the one kitten would be lonely when we were both at work all day (I’m a CPA so my hours sometimes are longer).

My partner had also tried to wear me down to get two kittens so I relented. That was how we got 2.

Jellybean was 8 to 12 weeks old and while they told us Sparky was the same age, we later found out from our vet that Sparky was 3 to 4 weeks younger (and has stomach/intestinal issues).

Best decision I ever made.. These two cats are my kids. They know just how to put a smile on our faces. They have total different personalities. Jellybean is very shy around people (she normally runs under a bed when anyone comes into the condo).Sparky is the exact opposite. When someone new first comes into the apartment, she is reserved for 5 to 10 minutes watching what is going on. After 10 minutes, she’ll walk up to the person and start meowing and rubbing against them, it is very cute.